Thursday, March 20, 2014

I'm so thrilled to be chatting with my good friend, Olivia Miles today about her new book release, Recipe for Romance. I loved everything about this book-and can't wait to share the insider scoop on this story and Olivia's upcoming books...First loves are hard to forget…but blend one very special
couple with a slice of blueberry à la mode and anything can happen in Olivia
Miles's delicious reunion story, Recipe for Romance!

When Scott Collins walks into the Sweetie Pie Bakery on opening day, Emily is
convinced she is seeing a ghost! It has been twelve years since he left town
without a word—twelve years since he shattered her teenage heart. What has
brought him back to Maple Woods? And why now?

Time has only improved Emily's beauty, Scott muses. He would give anything to
take away her pained expression, to be able to hold her in his arms again. But
the family secret that drove him away still stands between them. And telling
her the truth could ruin more than just their second chance at a happy ending….

Emily Porter is thrilled to be putting her pie-making skills to
use at the town's new bakery: Sweetie Pie. Working with food has always been her
passion and now that her family responsibilities are finally behind her, she
can start to think about pursuing a path outside of Maple Woods…that is, until
her high school sweetheart Scott Collins strolls back into town and makes her
think twice. When Scott left twelve years ago, he took with him a secret that
could devastate Emily. Will he explain his reasons for vanishing, and will
Emily be able to forgive him?

So,
back to Maple Woods! I know I was thrilled when I learned that Recipe for
Romance was set in the same town as your Christmas debut, ‘Twas the Week Before
Christmas. Can you tell readers whether or not they’ll get a glimpse of Max and
Holly?

Max and Holly do make cameo appearances, as well as
everyone’s favorite busybody, Evelyn Adler. I’m happy to be introducing some
new characters as well.

When
you began the first Maple Woods book, did you have Emily and Scott’s story in
mind, or did it evolve as you wrote ‘Twas the Week Before Christmas?

It didn’t really evolve until I wrote the last scene in ‘Twas the Week Before Christmas. I knew
then that the town of Maple Woods would evolve and grow, and the first place to
start was with the pie shop. From there, I thought of threads I could build on
from the first book, specifically the reconstruction of the town library, which
was a primary plot point in the first book, and Recipe for Romance began to take shape. I actually had to go back
into ‘Twas the Week Before Christmas
and add Emily’s character, since neither she nor Scott were central to the
first book, though the storyline they continue is directly linked.

Can
you share what your hardest scene was to write?

The ending was the hardest and also the most rewarding. I
had an epilogue in place, but at the line edit stage, my editor and I decided
that it really wasn’t the right tone. I had a very short amount of time to
rewrite it, and I wanted to do the story and the characters justice. I’m
particularly proud of the final scene, despite the crunch it was written under,
and I think I achieved what I set out to do.

What
scene did you have the most fun writing?

I just loved writing the scenes with Emily and her
sister, Julia. Julia is a bit dramatic and she speaks her mind, and she has a
way of really forcing Emily to be honest with herself. Julia is one of my
favorite characters ever, and she brought the perfect balance to this book.

I
fell in love with Maple Woods. Can you tell us what inspired the setting?

I grew up in Connecticut, where Maple Woods is set, and I
think the fictional setting embodies a combination of all my favorite, quaint,
quintessential New England towns. I don’t ever get back, and by writing these
books, it’s a way for me to reconnect with my childhood.

Last
year was a very exciting year for you, with your Briar Creek series being sold
to Grand Central Publishing. How does writing single-title differ from writing
category romance?

I think the biggest difference for me is pacing. My first
single-title book, Mistletoe on Main
Street, is about 100,000 words, whereas my Special Edition books are around
60,000 words. With the longer books, I have to be careful not to rush the story
but also keep it moving, and I’ve also adjusted my point-of-view shifts.
Fortunately, there is more room in the single-title books to develop secondary
storylines and characters, which I have really enjoyed doing.

Care
to share a little insight into what you’re working on right now?

Right now I’m wrapping up my second book in the Briar
Creek series, which will be called A
Match Made on Main Street. This book will release next April. For those
that enjoyed Recipe for Romance, this
book will also play on a culinary backdrop. Ironically, as a result of writing
these books, I have less time to spend in the kitchen, but I have certainly
never had a bigger appetite…:)

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

I am so happy to be chatting again with my dear friend Victoria James on the release of her heartwarming and at times hilarious contemporary romance, THE RANCHER'S SECOND CHANCE.

Widowed rancher Cole Forrester is all about running his family's ranch
and guarding his heart. The last thing he's looking for is love, but
when his little sister can't make it home to handle some of her wedding
details, he's forced to entertain the event planner, Melanie Simms.

Melanie is everything he's not even remotely interested in: she's
high-society, complicated, and high maintenance. But when he's stranded
with her at his remote cabin in the Colorado mountains, he realizes he's
seriously underestimated her. She's hiding something about her past
from him, but despite everything, he finds himself falling for the last
woman he ever expected, and the first woman to make him want to give his
heart and risk everything... AMAZON | B&N |KOBO | iTunes

Congrats on your newest release, The Rancher's Second
Chance! Can you tell us a little about the book?

It’s about second chances and trust. Cole Forrester a strong
man with a very tender side. He’s a widower and he’s closed himself off to
finding love again. In comes Melanie Simms, good friend to his little sister.
Melanie is a woman who has it all together on the outside, but she’s running
from a past that continues to haunt her. The last thing Melanie wants is to be
married-especially to a man of power and authority. But Cole is a man that has
a softer side that allows her walls to come down and let him in. When their
future is threatened Melanie hopes that he chooses her and the love they've
found...

I love the rustic setting of this book. Was there a real
location that served as inspiration?

It was set in Colorado, so I did some online research. I
also researched working cattle ranches in the area. It’s a beautiful area, so
the description came easily.

Cole is one sexy hero, and he's also the first cowboy you've
created. In trying something new, where there unforeseen challenges?

The biggest thing was confidence. I have read soooooo many
romances with cowboys (I consider that part of my research ;-) but when I
actually sat down to start this story, I struggled. I didn’t know if I could
actually ‘write’ a cowboy. They are a tad intimidating ;-). My confidence grew
the more I got to know Cole and his character just evolved naturally after
that.

Melanie had such a sad childhood and she's been holding out
for the right man. Why is Cole "the one" for her?

I think Cole has everything that Melanie would need from a
man: he’s trustworthy, protective, tender, loyal. He has such a soft side and
Melanie knows she can trust him. Cole also passed the ‘hero-test’ that Melanie
and her sister devised-and I’m not going to reveal anything else about the
test!

I must ask... Can you ride a horse?

Does sitting on a horse posing for a picture when I was six
years old count? No, I can’t ride a horse! But it’s on my bucket list!
Hmm…maybe we can meet up one day at a ranch and take riding lessons!

Do you have a particular favorite scene or character in this
story?

Well, I love Melanie and Cole…but the secondary characters
really grew on me. Mrs. H and Gage turned out to be hysterical characters that
I’d never really planned. They took on a life of their own. In fact, my editor
liked Gage so much that she asked me if I’d write his book. Which of course, I
will! Gage’s story is tentatively scheduled for January 2015! I’m looking
forward to revisiting The Tall Pines Ranch again…

Can you share what you are working on now and what readers
can look forward to seeing from you next?

Right now I’m working on a story that’s a little different
for me. It’s due in April and scheduled for release in November 2014 with
Indulgence. This summer, the last book in the Red River series is due out and
I’m so excited to finally be able to share Evan’s story with readers.

Read an excerpt from THE RANCHER'S SECOND CHANCE:

“You
look hotter than I expected.”

Her eyes widened, and she looked
over at him. Their horses were standing close together and she could almost
touch his thigh. His compliments always seemed to come out of left field, and
they were impossible not to physically react to. It was hard concentrating on
the horse and the cowboy at the same time.

“I guess this is a good time for me
to admit that this whole cowboy thing you have going on is a very good look.”

His
deep, rich laugh made her smile. “You do realize I’m not trying to make a
fashion statement, right? This is my livelihood.”

“Of
course, I get that you’re not dressing up in a Halloween costume,” she said.
“But it does work well.” She tilted her head to the side and tried to hide her
smile. He was fun to tease and flirt with and she enjoyed making him laugh.
There always seemed to be a hint of surprise on his face when he let go and
laughed.

“Mel?”

She tried not to smile as she raised
her eyebrows, signaling for him to continue.

“I find you irresistible. You are
insanely gorgeous and since our night together at the cabin I have thought of
you all day, every day. That night ended way too soon. All I want to do is
taste you, feel your body against mine. And if you have any doubt…” He paused,
his brown eyes holding hers with their intensity. He took her hand in his warm
one and placed it over his heart. He held it there and she squeezed her eyes
shut as she felt the rapid beating of his strong heart. “If you have any doubt, know that this is what happens the
second you walk into a room.”

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

I've been looking forward to this interview since I first read this manuscript more than a year ago, and it is an honor to be chatting once again with my oldest friend and critique partner, Natalie Charles, on her captivating and highly entertaining new release, THE BURDEN OF DESIRE.

Former lovers become partners in Natalie Charles's new novel of the perfect crime…

On
the eve of trial, prosecutor Sally Dawson has all the evidence she
needs to convict a man of killing his wife—until the "victim" reappears.
Now, alone and pregnant, to save her career she must trust the very man
who broke her heart—her sworn enemy, Ben McNamara.

The
case confounds Ben, a former marine JAG, but not the attraction budding
between him and Sally. Their mutual desire never died. Can Ben prove to
her that he's a changed man? He may never get the chance, because the
closer Sally gets to the surprising truth, the closer she gets to a
desperate killer….

Congrats on your new release, THE BURDEN OF
DESIRE. Can you tell us a little about the book?

Prosecutor Sally Dawson is having the worst
day of her life. Not only is she stuck working with her ex, Ben McNamara, but
the murder case she was working on has just blown up in her face. To save the
job she loves, she needs to swallow her pride and accept help from the man who
broke her heart. Sally is certain of three things: she works best alone, she's
done with men, and she despises the arrogant Ben…so how is it that working with
him calls all three of those convictions into question?

Where did the inspiration for this book
come from?

I've been a little obsessed with forensics for
years, and I once watched something about a real-life case in which a man was
successfully tried for murder when no one could find the victim's body. My
immediate thought was, What if the fail-proof forensic science was all wrong?
From there, I developed the suspense part of the book.

As for the romance…after my daughter was born,
I joined a group to socialize with other new moms and met a single woman who'd
conceived her baby through intrauterine insemination. Of course I listened with
rapt attention as she explained the process of choosing a father for her child,
and then she kind of shrugged and said, "I figured I wasn't getting any
younger, and it was now or never." It was such a bold, brave statement, and
I knew at that moment that I had to write this book.

This is your second novel. In what ways was
the writing experience different than with the first?

I found the experience of writing the second
book extremely difficult. Maybe that's because I wrote my first book after
winning a competition, but I had this anxiety that I was a one-hit wonder. It
reached a point where I struggled with every single word, imagining the
manuscript collecting dust in a drawer. I resisted writing, and then when I
neared the end, I resisted finishing. If my editor, Rachel, hadn't prodded me
for another manuscript, I'm not sure how long I would have taken. Now that it's
finished, I love the book, but I was experiencing second book syndrome every
step of the way.

Now that you have your debut under your belt, do you feel
like a "real" writer?

In my mind, real writers lounge by the pool and breezily work on
their manuscripts. My process is more like pounding coffee and staying up too
late just to get another 500 words in. Real writers are much more glamorous in
my mind than I could ever hope to be.

Is there a particular character or scene
that you most connect with in this story?

I do love Sally. I'm not nearly as dramatic as
she is (maybe some would disagree…) but I relate to her struggle to assert
herself and be taken seriously in a tough profession.

You're a lawyer by day, and your procedural knowledge shines
through in your books. Can you tell us how your professional training has
changed the way you approach your creative work?

Law school teaches you about the power of words. Lawyers analyze
commas and obsess over meaning and intent, and I'm in a job where we get
downright pedantic about language. Words matter. I call on my professional
training to understand how lawyers might approach a case or a problem, but I
think that most of my training appears behind the scenes, where I edit my work like
crazy.

THE BURDEN OF DESIRE has some page-turning plot twists. When
you sit down to brainstorm a new book, which comes first, the suspense or the
romance?

They kind of evolve together, to be honest. Some days, the
romance is easier to write and I focus on that, and other days the suspense
comes easier. I enjoy shifting between the two plots and playing one off the
other. As for plot twists, I've always started off knowing whodunit. Getting my
characters to figure it out is a completely different matter. I'm never quite
sure how that will happen.

Tell us, why is your hero the perfect man for your
heroine?

Ben is Sally's worst nightmare. He is the person who
out-performed her in law school, broke her heart, and now threatens to displace
her in her workplace. Ben also sees right through Sally's armor to her essence,
and this, more than anything, terrifies her. It's what Ben does with that power
that makes him perfect for Sally. I hate to give specifics because I don't want
to spoil the book, but let's just say that Ben spends the entire book
surprising Sally.

What are you working on now and what can readers look forward to reading by you
next?

My
next book for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, When
No One is Watching, will be out in September. Aside from that, I'm
currently working on something a little different – one of those projects that
has been haunting me for years, so I need to get it out of my system. I promise
I'll make an announcement as soon as I am able to share more details!You
can find out more about Natalie's books on her website, www.nataliecharlesromance.com.

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We're a bunch of sassy ladies who came together because we love romance. We write stories with varying heat levels and we embrace our different perspectives. We don't edit each other, and one member's opinion doesn't represent the opinion of the group....duh.